The deaths of firefighters Joseph P. Graffagnino and Robert Beddia at the Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero in 2007 needlessly replayed the tragedy that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2001, when 343 of New York’s Bravest died. The high-rise bank building, adjacent to the World Trade Center, was damaged in the attack and six years later was being cleaned of asbestos and demolished. Courtesy of the Manhattan District Attorney Fire at Deutsche bank building killed two firefighters, who succumbed to smoke inhalation struggling to get water on the fire source. Related Links: NIOSH Report on Bank Fire Deaths State Supreme
The National Society of Professional Engineers has a longstanding policy in favor of generic licensure. According to its Position Statement No. 1737, “NSPE endorses the [National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying] Model Law definition of the 'practice of engineering' … and encourages enactment of Model Law provisions. NSPE endorses and supports the concept of licensure of engineers only as a 'Professional Engineer' and opposes licensure status by designated branches or specialties.”But the NCEES Model Law definition of a professional engineer (PE) states, “The board may designate a professional engineer, on the basis of education, experience, and examination, as
SCHMIDT The National Society of Professional Engineers has a longstanding policy in favor of generic licensure. According to its Position Statement No. 1737, “NSPE endorses the [National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying] Model Law definition of the ’practice of engineering’ … and encourages enactment of Model Law provisions. NSPE endorses and supports the concept of licensure of engineers only as a ’Professional Engineer’ and opposes licensure status by designated branches or specialties.” But the NCEES Model Law definition of a professional engineer (PE) states, “The board may designate a professional engineer, on the basis of education, experience, and
Ready, set, enter! ENR’s 2011 Best Projects competition has now begun. This will be the first competition since McGraw-Hill Construction’s former regional magazines were integrated into the ENR brand. “With more than 1,000 entries, the annual Best Projects competition has become one of the premier awards programs in the industry, particularly focusing on an entire project’s life cycle, not just on the design or the construction phase,” says Scott Blair, ENR Southwest editor. Blair has been involved with the Best Projects competition for more than 10 years and led the team that brought the awards program to the national stage
For everyone concerned with construction, economic sustainability and disaster resiliency, the first five months of 2011 have been momentous. The quake in Christchurch, New Zealand, reminded us of the need for effective seismic retrofit programs. Japan’s triple disaster and shattered supply chain documented for us again that preparing for just a single disaster scenario does not match real-world events. The record tornado outbreaks proved the value of better warning systems and tornado shelters. And the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden has caused many of us to reflect on actions we have either taken or not taken over the
Reader comments are still coming online about “A Cautionary Tale of Virtual Design and Construction: Insurance settlement related to a building information model shows that BIM without communication can be costly” by Nadine M. Post. The piece, published in the May 23 print ENR issue (p. 10) and on ENR.com, describes a dispute that was settled privately involving the design and construction team for a life-sciences building. The job ran into trouble when the contractor could not fit the MEP systems—designed using BIM—into the ceiling plenum. The source about the claim, an XL Insurance vice president, would not name the
We would like to commend you for the excellent and timely article titled Engineers Seek Ways to Warn of Failures ‘Waiting to Happen.' One example where full disclosure of information about a failure could have contributed to better understanding of the problems and might prevent similar errors in the future was orthotropic decks failure on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (2005) which occurred within one year after their installation on the bridge. Cracking already occurred during testing of the prototype panels for this project, however, refined analysis by experts, having full knowledge of serious fabrication defects of the test panels, predicted a
Engineers should not lead organizations. Engineers are rigid, politically unsophisticated, unimaginative, uncommunicative and oblivious to the big picture. They lack the needed qualities for leadership and are best suited for lower-level supporting roles. You hear these comments all the time. Had these comments been made about famouspeople.com Rudyard Kipling wrote poem lauding engineers in 1907. an ethnic group or nationality, the comments would be condemned as stereotyping and the speaker as a bigot. But it's quite acceptable if you make remarks such as these about engineers.There is a price attached to our indifference and subtle acceptance of such derogatory comments.
Engineers should not lead organizations. Engineers are rigid, politically unsophisticated, unimaginative, uncommunicative and oblivious to the big picture. They lack the needed qualities for leadership and are best suited for lower-level supporting roles. You hear these comments all the time. Had these comments been made about an ethnic group or nationality, the comments would be condemned as stereotyping and the speaker as a bigot. But it’s quite acceptable if you make remarks such as these about engineers. Rudyard Kipling wrote poem lauding engineers in 1907. TRIPATHI There is a price attached to our indifference and subtle acceptance of such derogatory
The April 18 Viewpoint, “Studies Show That Unions Work,” misses the mark. In fact, the hypothesis on which it is based with regard to training and productivity is wrong. All successful contractors prioritize training. According to the Construction Industry Institute’s “Research Summary 231 on Craft Training in the United States and Canada,” a trained construction workforce is more productive and has lower turnover, absenteeism, injuries and rework than a less trained or unqualified one. Today’s construction industry demands formal training that incorporates diverse and flexible training methodologies to accommodate how current and future generations of craft professionals learn. Our free-market
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